


It´s all in the Cards

by HighlyProblematic



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Dipper, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Billdip Secret Santa, First Meetings, Gift Fic, M/M, Soul Mate AU, Tad and Dipper are friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlyProblematic/pseuds/HighlyProblematic
Summary: Dipper is convinced that he wants to spend the holidays by himself. A friend of his has different ideas and sets him up on a blind date.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines
Comments: 6
Kudos: 74





	It´s all in the Cards

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for the 2020 BillDip secret santa exchange, for aziria-seragaki-blog on Tumblr. Their request was Coffeeshop AU, Soulmates AU and anything Christmas/winter related. I hope that what I crafted out of those concepts is to your liking!

„What do you mean you´re not coming?”

Dipper looked at the screen of his phone that illuminated the small storage room he was spending his break in. It was cramped and dusty, with an upside-down standing bucket serving as a thing for him to sit on during his video call with his sister. He could recognize the living room walls of their childhood home in the background, heard the sound of Christmas songs playing on his dad´s radio.

“I mean… I´m not sure. I might be there, it´s not that I don´t want to spend time with you guys, but- you know- “

“But we haven´t- “

There was a muffled voice spouting swear words on the other side of the line, interrupting Mabel´s reply.

“-sorry, gruncle Stan just got us a Christmas tree off the market, and it won´t stand up straight!”

With a grin, she changed her position a little, giving her twin a view of the old man who was struggling with a fairly large pine tree, trying to get its branches off his face. A sight that made Dipper snort for a second before Mabel proceeded to talk.

“We haven´t had a get-together with the whole family in ages! And I haven´t seen you for such a long time, as well. Come on, it´s the holidays, they´re meant to be spend together. Can´t you please come over? Just for one day?”

“I really don´t want to let you down. It´s just… I think I still need time. Spend it by myself, I mean. And you know how some of our relatives tend to prod into our lives a lot…”

“They mean well.”

“I know. I just don´t think I can handle it right now.”

They remained silent, and Mason felt guilt sinking his teeth into him as the expression on his sister´s face morphed into disappointment. She had been understanding for so long, and here he was, letting her down again.

“Alright. But if you change your mind, tell us right away, ok? So we can make some extra food in time for your arrival. Come on, you gotta come out of your shell again. I´m sure you´ll feel better once you spend some time with us.”

There was another string of swears on the other side of the line, followed by the giggling of children. Dipper heard his dad´s voice, scolding Stan for cursing in front of the kids, to which the man replied something along the lines of _“please, they hear far worse than that on their internet devices!”_

With a sigh, Dipper leaned back against the wall, pressing his lips together. He didn´t want to reject the invitation again and make his family unhappy, but he knew that he wouldn´t, couldn´t handle such a large company in his current state, all the noise and commotion and questions about his personal life that came with it, along with the memories.

“I´ll think about it,” he finally said, unable to commit to saying no, and felt even worse from the weak, hopeful smile that then appeared on his twin´s face. At that moment, the door of Dipper´s hiding spot was opened, and the voice of one of his co-workers rang out, urging him to get up and help with the orders. Despite the fact that Mason still had over five minutes of his break left, he obeyed, bumping his head on the roof of the tiny closet as he rose. His workplace was severely understaffed, a lot of his colleagues having either left or being home sick, and they could barely keep up with their customer´s demands, which is why a lot of them barely got to have breaks at all.

“I have to go now, ok?” he murmured hastily, giving his sister a little wave. “I´ll decide and tell you in time. Say hi to everyone from me, alright?”

After a quick exchange of good-byes, Dipper ended the call, putting away his phone and wiping some dust off his apron before walking out, taking his place behind the counter with two of his colleagues. Right away, a seemingly endless line of customers formed in front of him, ready to make their orders.

“One Frappuccino with whipped cream, coming right up…”

\---

Legs heavy and body aching, Dipper finally managed to drag himself through the front door of his apartment, down the hallway, then right onto the old sofa in the living room that squeaked pathetically when he dropped his entire body weight onto it.

"Good evening, Mason," came the soft voice of his flatmate from somewhere in the kitchen. Dipper could only groan in reply, his face pressed flat against the cushions and legs dangling off the edge of the couch. He heard footsteps approaching, an encouraging hand patting his back. 

"Long day?" 

The barista nodded, finally turning his face to look at the other, his eyebrows scrunched. 

"I had to argue for about half an hour with some guy that tried to use a coupon. A thirty year old coupon, mind you. For an order that hasn't been on the menu for twenty years. He called me a cretin and cursed me and every one of my ancestors."

Chuckling sadly and shaking his head, his flat mate commented:

"A disgruntled time-traveler, perhaps?" 

"Perhaps. But I can't do this anymore, Tad. I swear to God, I can't."

"Hang in there. Just one more year, we'll both have our degrees, get proper jobs, and there will be no more serving over-prized caffeinated beverages to moody office-workers."

Mason sighed, turning onto his back. 

"If we're not torn to shreds by one of them until then, that is. What have _you_ been up to today?"

"Glad you asked, buddy. I have been pondering over this highly complex question," Tad replied, smiling in his usual nonchalant manner. "What are we going to eat today? Or rather, for the rest of the week?" 

Despite everything in him screaming to remain in horizontal position, Dipper forced himself to get up, to walk into the kitchen and remain standing in front of the fridge. Opening its door just to be greeted by a cold void.

“Isn´t there anything in the pantry?” he asked hopelessly, already knowing the answer. He had known that food would be sparse by the end of the month, but he hadn´t thought it would be that bad. Grinding his teeth, he got onto his tip-toes, taking a desperate look at the uppermost frame. There, one single, forgotten egg was lying in the corner, and the man reached for it greedily, stretching his fingers to roll it in his direction.

“Hold up, I found something! Give me a second…”

Mason leaned further forward, giving the egg one last push that was, unfortunately, a little too strong, and sending it flying down the shelf. The two men stared in silence at its insides, splattered onto the floor between both their feet.

“Well,” Tad said after a while, “that was the last edible thing in this house. Not counting the houseplants.”

“And I´m only getting my paycheck in three days,” Dipper replied in a grave voice, feeling as though the leaking yolk was mocking him.

“Ha! Same here. Looks like the two of us are going on a diet.”

Ever the optimist, Tad gave Mason a playful nudge to the side, but that did little to lighten the barista´s mood. Somehow, they at least managed to find an opened pack of pasta somewhere, though Dipper had no idea how they were supposed to make it last until payday.

As they chewed on the soggy, overcooked spaghetti in silence, the first snow of the year began to fall outside the window, softly painting the streets and roofs around them white. The holiday spirit was slowly but surely coming to life in their busy city, though Dipper, frankly, couldn´t feel much of it.

\---

Even when he could finally afford to fill his stomach, Dipper did not feel much better. As those around him got jolly with Christmas Cheer, he only became more reversed, watching with disinterest as the people bustled around the mall he worked in, getting presents for their loved ones.

He himself did not have time for such pleasantries; the cold weather brought people to the coffee shop en masse, all of them wanting to warm themselves with a cup of hot chocolate after a long winter day. Especially now that a new drink was on the menu, the kind that was only available during the holidays and had everyone wanting to get their fill of it before it was gone for another year. Dipper didn´t really get why people were so into it, he had tried it before and found that it tasted like normal, store bought coffee with a dash of cinnamon in it, but for some reason it sold by the hundreds every holiday season despite being shamelessly overprized. Then again, it´s not like he cared much for the taste of his customers, as long as they ordered quickly and managed to remain somewhat civil while doing so. Unfortunately, that wasn´t always the case.

“No, I am one-hundred percent sure that I specifically asked for _soy_ milk. And this drink has regular milk in it!”

With a tired smile, Mason looked at the women he knew was about to cause a scene. She was holding a hot chocolate in one hand and had the other on her child´s shoulder while giving the barista an accusatory glare. The best he could, Dipper tried to calm her temper, reminding his customer of the fact that she had not mentioned anything about soy milk when ordering, but she would not have it.

“Me and my son are both lactose intolerant. I would _never_ forget to keep my order lactose-free! Are you implying that I don´t know what´s best for me and my child, that I am this careless about his health?!”

“Ma´am…”

“…because I think you´re just trying to mask your incompetence by making me look like a forgetful fool…”

“Please, Ma´am…”

“…but I am not _that_ old, you know? My memory still functions perfectly well, and I can remember my order from ten minutes ago, thank you very much!”

As her words cascaded onto him, Mason´s eyes drifted to the clock on the wall behind the long line of customers. Two more hours. Two more of this and he´d be free to go, he just had to hang on a little bit longer. And after that, weekend would be there only two days later, practically around the corner…

During his desperate musings, one of his colleagues decided to come to his assistance. Robbie, of all people, the same guy that suffered from chronic teenageritis, meaning he looked and acted as if he hated every living being around him and could communicate only through unenthusiastic grunts and rolling his eyes in annoyance. Yet even this guy got uncomfortable with how Dipper was being treated, and stepped towards the customer, offering to just make her a new drink for free, but she refused. Claiming that this establishment could not get away with endangering the health of the customers so carelessly, demanding to see someone who was “in charge”.

And just like that, out of nowhere, _he_ appeared. A man Dipper had never seen before, elaborate tattoos on his neck, amber eyes bright as gold and mischief written all over his face. Carefully maneuvering himself through the crowd of waiting people, making his way towards the barista and his displeased customer. He gave Mason a playful wink and a grin that was right after replaced with a serious expression as he cleared his throat, looking at the women.

“My apologies, Ma´am. I see you aren´t happy with our service. Can I help you with something?”

She stopped her ramblings for a second, and, convinced that stranger was another employee of the coffee shop, gave him a sharp glare.

“Yes, these people gave me and my child the wrong kind of drink and are now trying to convince me that it´s somehow _my_ fault!”

“Oh dear, that´s just awful…”

“Yes. And I would like to talk to the manager of this establishment-“

“…but have you, perhaps, considered that you may have just forgotten? After all, it is common for people your age to have memory issues. Growing old is no easy feat, is it?”

“What do you think you´re saying?!” the women exclaimed, her face going red. “Does your employer know you dare to insult customers this way? Because I would like to have a talk to him about you!”

“Go ahead.”

“I will! Someone like you shouldn´t be allowed to work with customers of any kind! What´s your employer´s name and phone number?”

“No idea.”

“What do you mean, no idea? You must be lying, how can you not know your bosses´ number?”

“Because I don´t work here.”

She stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, knitting her brows together and processing the situation.

“But- if you don´t… then what the hell are you wasting my time for?!”

“I don´t know,” the stranger replied, shrugging. “Why are _you_ acting like such a massive cunt? I suppose some mysteries just aren´t meant to be solved.”

A deadly silence followed his words, and the women´s mouth went slack in shock, as her son finally looked up from the phone he had been playing on this whole time and stared at the man with wide eyes. Mason, just as flabbergasted, couldn´t even get himself to try and say something.

“I mean,” the stranger continued, motioning with his hand towards the ever-growing line in front of the register, all poking their heads out to see what the commotion was all about and what was taking so long. “You´re making all these people wait by throwing your tantrum. With all due respect, I think everyone here would be quite grateful if you just shut the fuck up and left.”

What followed after was hysterics, and a waterfall of every curse under the sun coming from the women´s mouth, all while the tattooed man stood there with a content smile on his face, watching as she stormed out of the Café and disappeared behind the corner. Then, as if nothing had happened, he moved to the back of the line, patiently waiting for his turn to be served.

Dipper and his teenaged colleague- what else was left to do- shook off their bewilderedness and went back to work, serving the other customers their drinks as quickly as they could. When it was the cocky stranger´s turn, Mason felt his heart stop for a moment, then beat a tad quicker at the cat-like smirk he received from him. Without saying a word, he quickly prepared the black coffee with three shots of sugar that he was asked to make, and handed it away, feeling the other´s fingers lightly brush his own.

“Thanks, darling,” the man purred, leaving a quite generous tip before turning around to leave. For some reason, his face remained on Dipper´s mind long after he was out the door.

\---

“You did _what_?”

Mason stared at his dorm mate in utter disbelief, watching as he sipped lavender tea out of a big mug with sleeping kittens on it. Taking it away from his lips, Tad smiled with pride, calmly replying:

“I set you up on a blind date.”

Dipper brought both his hands to his head, grabbing onto his hair as took in a sharp breath.

“How.”

“Well, there is this one website- not sure what it´s called anymore- that is all about meeting and dating strangers. The concept is pretty interesting, since you´re not allowed to post your name and photograph on there, and you´re matched with a randomly chosen person that lives in your area, meaning that it´s a total surprise who you meet. I thought it was interesting, so I made a profile for you and-“

“No,” Mason replied, shaking his head slowly as he glared daggers at the other. “I meant to ask _how_ you thought that was a good idea in any way.”

“Ah, well. I wanted to do something nice for you. You´ve been alone for such a long time, and it´s upsetting to see you like this, all sad and frowny during holiday season. So I thought, hey, why not? Maybe letting someone new into your life might cheer you up a notch!”

The man´s smile widened even more, all while Dipper felt a pit forming in his stomach.

“Cheer me up? I don´t even know that person!”

“That´s the point of a blind date, I think,” Tad replied, thoughtfully scratching his chin.

“Are you crazy? What if you set me up with some deranged maniac who will kidnap me and kill me?!”

“That could happen, of course, but I think the chance for that is quite low. Besides, the place you´re supposed to meet up at is usually bustling with people, so I wouldn´t worry…”

Mason didn´t even want to hear it, crossing his arms as he kept shaking his head stubbornly.

“You didn´t ask for my permission.”

“Because I knew you wouldn´t ever agree if I did.”

“Well, you were right, I absolutely do not agree! Find that website again and tell that person I´m not going.”

“I can´t. It´s randomly generated, remember? I wouldn´t know how to contact them. And keeping someone standing would be pretty rude.”

“Then go in my stead!”

Tad´s smile waned a little, and he sighed, putting his mug down.

“I don´t really understand why you keep doing this, to be honest,” he said, not looking at his dorm mate.

“Keep doing what?” came the confused reply, and Tad thought for a while as he searched for the right words.

“Clinging to the past. As bad as it was, you can´t just hide in your shell forever.”

“Don´t,” Dipper muttered, turning away the second that unpleasant topic was mentioned. “I told you, I need time. Yet you all keep pushing me. You just don´t understand.”

“Perhaps not. But as your friend, I can see how it drags you down, constantly running from any chance for happiness. It´s been two years, Mason. Let it go. Allow yourself to open up a little again, meet new people. At least try to.”

Stone-faced, Dipper stared into nothingness for a while as he listened to his friend talk. When no further objections came from him, his dorm mate continued, sounding more cheerful again.

“Come on, what bad could it do? Worst case scenario is you spend the evening with that person, find out that you can´t connect to them and then leave, not having to see them ever again. But if you´re lucky, you might find a new friend, maybe even something more… who knows. It´s that time of the year, after all, a Christmas miracle could surely happen.”

Mason remained quiet, going through his options in his head. He truly had no desire to go, and was endlessly angry at his friend for putting him in this situation. Yet, whoever that poor guy or girl was Tad had set him up with surely didn´t deserve to be left standing like that. Dipper could at least meet up with them, tell them that their “date” had been a stupid prank played on him by his friend, apologize and go back home.

He turned around, asked Tad for the date and place of that meeting, then retreated to his room and didn´t talk to the other for several days.

\---

“ _Should have worn gloves_ ,” Mason thought to himself as he stood under the lamplight in front of a small bar, breathing warmly onto his hands and rubbing them together. It had snowed again, and winter fully made itself known with cold winds that blew uncomfortably into Dipper´s face. After lowering his hat a little to keep them from gnawing on his ears, he took out his phone from his pocket to check the time, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

“Hey there,” a voice next to him asked, “are you waiting here to meet someone, per chance?”

Dipper looked up, and was met with a familiar image. Amber eyes. Tattoos. Smug expression. And as the two men stared at each other, recognition came over them at the exact same time. They needed a moment to find the right words after the initial surprise. The stranger found them first.

“Oh my,” he spoke, lips curling into a grin. “Now that´s what I call a coincidence. Small world, isn´t it?”

Dipper opened his mouth, but had trouble to push a sound out of it, letting his eyes wander over the other instead. Up close, in the shine of the lamplight, he could get a better look at him. A really tall man, with a lean body and long legs to match, wearing a black winter coat that contrasted with the snowy surroundings. Strands of blond hair sticking out in several directions, nicely accentuating his sharp facial features. Two serpents drawn in black ink winding around his neck, with fine triangle-shaped scales. The way he smiled, his entire demeanor resembled that of someone who would knock on your window at three in the morning, ask you to help steal someone´s car and go on an alcohol-fueled roadtrip through the entire continent that would end in skinny dipping in some has-been celebrity’s pool while under the influence of several illegal substances. He also smelled faintly of cigarettes.

Without waiting for Dipper to answer, he stretched out his hand.

“Name´s Bill. Nice to meet you.”

Mason, carefully, gave into the strong handshake, the other´s fingers just as cold as his own.

“Hi, Bill,” he finally mumbled, a knot forming in his stomach as a feeling of nervousness suddenly overcame him. He held onto Bill´s hand for a little too long before awkwardly pulling away, unsure of what to say next until the memory of their first short meeting in the coffee shop suddenly came to his mind.

“Oh, uhm… thanks, by the way, for what you did. Back at the Café, I mean,” he stuttered out, and the man laughed in response. Dipper found that he sounded a bit like a hyena.

“You mean telling off that harpy? Don’t mention it. I used to work in retail at several points in my life, and us people need to stick together. Couldn’t just leave a damsel in distress hanging.”

While he wasn´t sure how he felt about being referred to as a damsel, Mason did feel himself smiling at that comment, and the small pat on the back that followed it. Then, Bill led them to the bar nearby, and Dipper, despite his initial plans, followed.

“So, that job at the Café is your only occupation, or do you do something besides that a well?” the blonde asked a while later, when both of them were seated at the booth and several drinks in.

“I´m at college, and I work at the coffee shop because food and rent isn´t free,” Dipper replied, the alcohol warming his insides and loosening his lips a little. “What about you?”

“I´m a magician. Stage magician, I mean. Not the kind that scams gullible new age occultists out of their money.”

“Huh?” the barista lifted his eyes from his drink in surprise. “Like… pulling rabbits out of top hats and stuff?”

Bill smirked, downing the insides of his glass. “Something like that, yes. Though I prefer to leave the poor rabbits alone. Imagine being pulled by your ears, how would you like it? Wait, hold up a second- I haven´t asked you for your name yet. Fuck, that´s pretty rude of me, sorry. So, what shall I call ya?”

With a shrug, Dipper indicated that he wasn´t offended.

“Mason. Friends call me Dipper. And customers call me various forms of ‘incompetent moron’ sometimes.”

“Been there, done that. Why Dipper, though? That´s a neat nickname.”

The barista reached for his face, holding up his bangs to show Bill his birthmark, and the man´s eyes lit up once realization hit him. He leaned in a bit further to closer inspect what he was seeing, almost close enough for Dipper to feel his breath on his face.

“Ha, that is honestly pretty damn cool! Did your parents get an ancient prophecy stating that you are some kind of chosen one along with your birth certificate? I´ve never met anyone with a whole constellation on their body.”

While his birthmark was usually a bit of a sensitive topic for Dipper, seeing as how it was the subject of mockery throughout his years in school, the man´s comment made him chuckle lightly.

“I´ve never met a stage magician, either. Never got to talk to one, at least. What are the secrets behind all those tricks?”

“If I told you, they wouldn´t be secrets anymore, would they?” replied Bill as he lit a cigarette, placing it between his ever-smiling lips.

Silence set in, but it was a comfortable rather than an awkward one, and Mason could feel the other´s eyes on himself, the sensation of the other drinking up the sight of him like he did his liquor. It sent shivers down his spine that felt strangely pleasurable, and he soon got lost in the thick smoke of the other´s cigarette, the weight of that amber gaze on his face. He barely noticed time going by, and was only pulled out of his dreamy state when the voice next to him called out for him.

“So, Mason,” his name sounded sweet on the other´s lips, “you know, I can´t be out for long tonight, I need to prepare stuff for my next act. And I had not expected to meet an interesting person when I signed up on that weird website, but I must say, I would really like to get to know you better. How about you come to my next big show, and afterwards, we´ll hang out for a while? Talk a little?”

Dipper turned to face the other, trying to sort his foggy thoughts. And despite the alcohol´s influence, Bill´s question alerted him, his inner walls rising up once again. He suddenly remembered that he hadn´t planned any of this, that he had originally wanted to tell the person he´d meet off and never look back again, realized that he had gone too far already. Yet still, there was another part of him that was undeniably curious about the other, already deeply interested in that man and the possibilities of what he could offer. Deeply unsure, he pursed his lips before replying:

“I don´t know. To be honest, I didn´t actually plan to meet anyone, much less get to know them…”

“Really? Then how come you came here?”

“It was- my friend set me up for this, without asking me first. It wasn´t my intention.”

“And yet you came, and spent some time with me,” Bill replied with a mildly amused smile. “That has to mean something, doesn´t it?”

Mason looked away, feeling flustered all of the sudden.

“Ok then, how about this: I have this deck of cards over here. A completely normal deck, here, you can look for yourself.”

Bill pulled out the cards from the inner pocket of his coat and gave them to Dipper, allowing him to check.

“I´ll let you shuffle it, then I´ll pull a card with my eyes closed. If it´s an ace, you´ll go to my show and spend the evening with me. If it isn´t, we will both go home and forget about this whole thing. What do you say?”

Mason stared at the cards for a while, unsure what do to. Then, holding his breath, he quickly shuffled them, holding the deck towards Bill with an expectant expression. The man closed his eyes right away, running his long fingers over the side of the deck for a few seconds before pulling one out and revealing it with a rather dramatic motion. In his hand was an ace of hearts.

“Would you look at that. Looks like fate is on my side tonight.”

His smirk widening, he pulled out a pen from a different pocket, quickly scribbling down something onto that card before handing it to Dipper. It was a date and the name of a place, as well as a number.

“That´s where I´m going to perform. And that´s my phone number. In case you´d like to call beforehand, for whatever reason. ”

Dipper could feel his face heat up at how the other winked at him and lowered his head to hide it, quickly nodding.

They got up, and Bill generously paid for both their drinks before leading the other outside, even offering to order a cab for Mason, which he promptly declined. And long after their good-byes and the bus ride home, Dipper laid in his bed, fingers gilding over the edges of the ace, dumbfounded at how his heart pounded in excitement.

\---

He had been tempted to call, but always decided against it in the last second, typing in the number only to put his phone away or just stare at the screen in silence. Thus, all that was left was waiting for the week to pass, growing increasingly anxious with each day. More than once had he thought of just calling this thing off, doubting whether it was a good idea at all, but never went through with it, his ever-growing interest getting the best out of him.

Finally, the much anticipated day came. He had just served his last customer, and a look at the clock revealed that his shift was over. Bill´s show would begin in an hour, but that was enough time to get to the nightclub he was performing at.

Dipper made his way to the backrooms, getting out of his apron and quickly pulling on his jacket, jittery fingers getting tangled up in each other. When was the last time he had experienced this much of a thrill over meeting someone? Back then, perhaps, when he was still a schoolboy, going through it all for the first time as he waited by the school gates every day, searching the crowd for that one special person…

“Hey, where are you going?”

Mason turned around to face his colleague, wondering how he had missed the smell of teenage angst approaching.

“Uh. I´m going out. I mean, my shift is over for today.”

“It´s not,” Robbie replied, shaking his head like a dog to get his bangs out of his face, only for them to fall back onto his eyes again right after. “We decided two weeks ago to trade shifts today, remember? So I could go to that movie premiere? You promised.”

“We did?” furrowing his eyebrows, Dipper tried to recall said promise, and after a bit of digging around in his memories, he remembered.

“Of, damn. You´re right. We _did_.”

Cursing under his breath, the man took another desperate look at the clock, realizing that there was no way he would get to that show on time if he were to finish that shift. It made his heart sink harder than he could admit to himself, and the anticipation he had felt during that entire week deflated at once. He leaned against a nearby wall, running his hand through his hair. Maybe he should take it as a sign. Maybe this was fate´s way of telling him that it wasn´t meant to be at all, that getting his hopes up and getting this worked up over some stranger he barely even knew was stupid. What meaningful thing could become of it, anyway? After all, it hadn´t worked last time he had tried, either.

While Dipper was lamenting in silence, his co-worker stared at him, took notice of the sudden grave expression that had appeared on his face.

“Why were you so eager to go, anyway?” he asked, feigning apathy as always. “Even more eager than any other day, I mean.”

“I was supposed to meet someone today, but… I don´t know. It´s ok, you´re right, I promised. I´ll better go back out, don´t want to make someone mad again.”

Mason pushed himself off that wall, rubbing his eyes and grabbing his apron to put it back on, but was suddenly stopped by Robbie, who let out an annoyed sigh.

“Actually, you know what, I don´t really want to go see that movie. I´ve heard it´s not even that good, anyways.”

Blinking in surprise, Dipper stopped what he was doing.

“But you´ve been going on about how excited you were about it for days now…”

“Yeah, well, my friend has seen a pirated version of it and said it sucks. So you can go to your date or whatever. I don´t care.”

“It´s not really a… wait, are you really sure?”

Robbie rolled his eyes in his usual manner, replying that yes, he was sure, and Dipper´s face lit up at that, a grateful smile appearing on his face.

“Thank you.”

“I´m not doing that because I´m feeling nice, ok? I just don´t feel like watching that movie. And looking at your sulking face for the rest of the week,” the teen huffed, crossing his arms and turning away. Though he did quickly glance back to look at Dipper running out the door, and his lips curled into a dry grin as if his co-workers happiness was somehow contagious.

\---

“Ladies n´ gentlemen, the watch has been on my wrist a moment ago, you´ve seen it with your own eyes. Now it has suddenly disappeared. The question is: who of you took it?!”

Mason´s eyes were glued to a brightly lit stage, to the slim man standing in the spotlights. He didn’t recognize Bill at first in the get-up he was wearing, a bright yellow west and tailcoat and a tall top-hat. A weird, quirky look, yet he somehow managed to not only make it work, but make it look good as well. He nimbly walked up and down the stage, making dramatic movements and grand gestures, speaking in a charismatic tone that was both easy to listen to and kept one on one´s toes about what was going to happen next. He performed flawlessly, making things levitate and appear out of thin air, walking through surfaces of mirrors, loosening iron chains with the snap of his fingers. One trick after another, and he never seemed to lose even an ounce of his energy throughout it all.

“Seriously,” he exclaimed, looking through the crowd with a strict look. “That watch is _really_ dear to me, I got it from my gramma on my twentieth birthday! You know how hard it was to pull that thing off her wrist with her being in rigor mortis?”

A chuckle sounded from the audience, and Bill shook his head, feigning disapproval.

“Alright, then. Since no one wants to confess, I´ll have to find out myself.”

Swiftly, he jumped down from the stage, making his way through the rows of onlookers, eyeing them critically, until his gaze fell onto Dipper. The performer came to a stop for a moment, a little glint in his eye when he recognized the familiar face, and Mason, again, held his breath, surface of his skin tingling in anticipation. Bill shuffled towards him, expression content and playful, then turned towards the crowd again.

“I must say, this gentleman over here seems particularly suspicious! Let us see whether he is the thief. May I ask you to stand up, sir, and show us your pockets?”

Mason obeyed, getting up from his chair and turning his pockets inside out, proving that they were indeed empty.

“Nice try,” said Bill, “but the evidence is clear as day!”

He reached into one of Dipper´s pockets and quickly pulled out the golden watch that had just recently vanished into thin air, holding it up for all to see. As the audience applauded him for the umpteenth time that evening, he gave the barista a small, earnest smile, and Mason couldn´t help but return it.

It remained on his face for the rest of the evening, and each time the magician looked down to him from the stage, it sent a wave of warmth throughout his body that remained even when the act was over and he stepped outside into the biting cold, Bill already waiting for him outside.

\---

“Was kind of doubting whether you´d actually show up, to be honest.”

Mason heard the _click_ of the other´s lighter, listened to him take the first drag of his cigarette. Watched the small flame that illuminated Bill´s face for a second before being snuffed out.

“But I did.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah, a lot. Especially that part where you disappeared under that blanket, then came jumping from the ceiling, that was pretty great.”

“It is, isn´t it?” Bill replied in a jolly manner. “I remember doing that for the first time. Broke both my ankles! Would you like to try sometime?”

“I´d rather not, thank you. You didn´t really steal that watch from your dying grandmother, though, did you?”

“What do you take me for, a crazy person?”

Dipper smirked, replying that perhaps he did, a little.

“I suppose that´s fair. But you have to be a little nuts for this job. Otherwise, the magic won´t come to life.”

The two of them stared at the blurry, distant lights of the city, holiday decorations making it shine in bright blues, reds and greens. Mason diverted his gaze from them, blinked them away, and a question formed in his mind.

“If I may ask, why did you decide to become a magician? Not really a common career.”

“Why did you decide to become a college student? Not really something a sane person would do, taking up student loans that will shackle you for the rest of your life.”

The way the barista pouted at his cocky reply made Bill chuckle, and he couldn´t stop himself from ruffling the man´s hair gently in delight.

“I don´t know, really. I´ve always wanted to entertain people, ever since I was a child. I tried out many thing before that, stand-up comedy, acting, slam poetry- don´t like remembering that one… then I got to try magic tricks, and it just worked for me,” the man said, shrugging. “My family didn´t take very kindly to it, though.”

“Why?”

“Most families wouldn´t. Parents always want their child to be doing something substantial,” he put the last word in air quotes, “especially mine. They´re company owners, you see. And they have always been very vocal about me continuing the family tradition and working at their place.”

Dipper´s eyes widened a little at that.

“Really? May I ask what kind of company they run?”

“Technology, mostly computers and that kind of stuff. I couldn´t get into that if I tried, pace back and forth all day wearing a fancy schmancy suit, looking all self-important, it´s not for me. You gotta choose to do the thing you love doing most in your life, or else what´s the point? And they refused to let me, so now we don´t talk anymore.”

“Oh. I´m- I´m very sorry, I probably shouldn´t have asked…”

Mason lowered his head, but the other didn´t seem to mind at all.

“Don´t worry about it. Perhaps one day they´ll understand, and if they don´t, well… then that´s how it is, I´ll be fine either way. Sometimes people that are dear to you are going to hurt you, disappoint you, willingly or not. And, as vapid an expression it is, you gotta get up and move on, what else is there to do?”

“Yeah,” Mason murmured, resting his chin on the railing of the overpass they were standing on, staring at the cars passing by below. “What else is there to do? It can be hard though. Sometimes I don´t understand how some people can just pick themselves up like that. Sometimes I think there are things that can´t be fixed.”

The magician cocked his head to the side, eyeing the other thoughtfully for a while before asking:

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I´m not sure whether I should tell someone I barely just met my tragic backstory.”

“Well, I already told you mine, so you might as well join in.”

Mason could feel the other give him a slight nudge with his elbow, and he pondered about what to say, whether he should at all, give in to that tiny part of himself that really wanted to let go for once, to have his worries being swallowed by the night as he voiced them to this stranger that somehow didn´t seem all that strange anymore.

It took him a while, yet Bill remained at his side, waiting patiently as he finished his cigarette. Mason decided to not waste his time any longer, and simply said:

“My ex fiancée left me for somebody else.”

He needed to take a short breath before continuing.

“We´ve known each other since we were kids, dating since middle-school. When I went to college, she said she´d marry me once I´m done with it. Then, one day, her parents threw a large party- they´re really rich people, and had house parties at their mansion a lot- and she stumbled into this guy…they looked at each other, and both their chests started glowing.”

He could hear Bill sucking in air through his teeth at that revelation, could practically feel him cringing as if he could physically feel the other´s pain. It was obvious what Dipper´s words implied, but he added anyway:

“Yeah. They were soulmates. I always thought that her and I were those kinds of people that have no soulmates, since there are a lot of those, but I guess I was wrong. She left with him.”

“And you just let her? Even though you´ve been together for so long?” Bill asked quietly, snuffing out his cigarette butt on the railing and throwing it off the bridge.

“Of course I let her. It was decided by fate itself that he´s her soulmate. And who am I to go against fate?”

“Fate´s a stupid concept. You want something, you take it into your own hands. You want to excel at a skill, you practice until your hands bleed. You want to ask that handsome guy with the cool birthmark out on a date, you put an ace up your sleeve and impress him with some magic tricks.”

Blood rushed to Mason´s face, and he slowly looked up at the other, breath and heartbeat quickening up.

“But what if it doesn´t work?” he breathed shakily, “what if you put in all that effort, and it all goes south?”

“Then you try again,” Bill replied firmly. “If life throws a chance at you, you take it. Simple as that, right? Listen, you already caught my eye back at that café, and even though I don´t believe in destiny and all that, us meeting a second time has got to mean something. And I´m not going anywhere for the holidays, so… how about we just spend them together and see where it takes us?”

Mason replied that he´d think about it, but at that point, the night was still young, and by the end of it, he had not a single doubt that he needed to give it a try. Because when he had Bill driving him home after spending time together way into the morning hours, he felt content, happy even, and decided to send his twin a message, asking to save him and another person a seat at the family table. There was no glow coming from his chest, no marks or writings appearing on either of their arms. But there was the overwhelming feeling that this day had been a start of something new and exciting, something that had potential to be so much more. And for Dipper, that was enough.


End file.
